WATCH: NYC’s Skull Practitioners Share Video for “LEAP”

The band’s debut album, Negative Stars, out now on In The Red Records

February 8, 2023February 8, 2023 Ron Hart 0 Comments 2023, Alex Baker, In The Red Records, Jason Victor, Kenneth Levine, Negative Stars, New York City, Skull Practitioners, The Dream Syndicate

Skull Practitioners (Image: John Bottomley Photography)

Today, New York’s own Skull Practitioners share the video for “LEAP,” the latest single from the band’s first LP Negative Stars.

The album is the second release for Los Angeles-based In the Red by the trio — guitarist Jason Victor, bassist Kenneth Levine and drummer Alex Baker, following the band’s acclaimed EP, Death Buy, issued in 2019.

Beautifully animated and directed by Arturo Baston, the video will automatically remind underground animation fans of the early works from revolutionary filmmaker Ralph Bakshi and his utilization of rotoscoping.

“The video shows a number of ghostly characters condemned to repeat the same nonsense action over and over again,” explains Baston. “The result is a distressing, rhythmic, almost hypnotic but nice-looking disturbance that intends to reflect the absurdity of most social behaviors and the monotony of modern life. I felt that the intensity of Skull Practitioners’ music and the ambiguity of ‘LEAP’s’ lyrics would fit fine with this concept.”

Skull Practitioners Negative Stars, In The Red Records 2023

In addition to the new video, Skull Practitioners have begun to play out with more regularity, opening shows for Lydia Lunch, Hammered Hulls, Live Skull and fellow In the Red label mates the Wolfmanhattan Project (Kid Congo Powers, Mick Collins, and Bob Bert) and just recently Jon Spencer & The HITmakers at a sold out TV Eye in New York. The band have just announced a headlining show at Windjammer in Queens, NY, with Kilynn Lunsford and Sky Furrows.

“I think the band is represented at its best in a live setting,” says Levine. “That’s where we’re in our element. Playing live, we’re out for blood.”

“With the live thing, we just want to destroy, in the nicest, most friendly way — we’re nice people,” adds Victor, who also plays guitar with The Dream Syndicate. “Someone said about us, ‘These guys look like a bunch of accountants.’ People don’t really know what to expect before they hear us. I think they’re all a little surprised, maybe, and we like having that element of surprise.”

If there’s a deficiency of bottle smashing NYC garage rock fury in your life, these guys have you covered. “LEAP” into the rowdy sound of Skull Practitioners below.